What does light do? When you walk into a dark room and turn on a light switch, what happens? The darkness is not there anymore. It disappears. This is much more than an object lesson. It has spiritual applications also.
The light exposes things that are hidden. If you are looking for something in the dark, will you not turn on a light so that you can find it?
Continue readingI have always had a question in my mind about Matthew 16:18. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Perhaps some of my misunderstanding comes from my Catholic background which always said Peter was the pope, but that is not the part I had questions about. I have long ago discarded the Catholic teaching as the truth of this passage. This scripture is about so much more.
Continue readingJesus made this statement in John 14:9 when one of His disciples said “show us the Father.“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Please realize the context of this. These men had been with Him for a long time, witnessing supernatural events on a regular basis. They saw Him rebuke a storm, walk on water, cast out demons from people, heal all manners of sickness and disease, raise dead people, provide ample food where there was none for people who came to hear Him teach, find a coin in a fish’s mouth with which to pay their taxes and curse a tree and it withered. So, for one of them to say show us the Father would indicate someone wasn’t paying attention!! Jesus WAS showing them the Father!
Continue readingA couple of friends visited me last night on my birthday while I was in the throes of a tooth infection. These were not like Job’s friends, who tried to explain to him why he was having so much trouble in life. These were friends bearing gifts. One brought me a Mexican dinner (yum), while the other brought dessert (double yum).
Before they left, one of my friends noticed a picture on my wall and asked what it was. It is a print of the Israelites’ wilderness tabernacle with the nation camped around it. The glory of God is seen coming down over the inner court of the tabernacle.
Continue reading“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
In the last post I talked about intimacy as the way to know how God thinks. Much like living day to day with a spouse or a child, one learns how that person thinks when they spend time with them. Intimacy is the key to knowing the ways of God and the thoughts of God.
Continue reading“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians. I dare say this passage of scripture is not for the casual believer, but demonstrates the sold out love attitude of the apostle who was determined to fulfill the will of God for his life and to be the best representation of Jesus in his world. We too can adopt this same attitude. I believe this is the mindset of the believer who pursues God with his whole heart, always waiting and watching for the Lord’s direction and action, one who listens closely, because he knows he needs answers from Heaven in order to navigate life. The fact remains: we do not know everything, no matter how smart we are.
Continue readingOur ultimate, forever destiny is Heaven. If you have experienced salvation and the cleansing of your sins, you will live eternally in all of Heaven’s perfections and beauty. We are His beloved and we will spend eternity with our Lover King. But what about now? While we are here on the earth, what are we supposed to be doing? This is a huge question. It involves finding our purpose and place in His kingdom plans. Salvation is just the starting place.
Continue readingRecently, as I have been pondering what looks to be “giant” problems in our society, my attention has come to the story of David, the anointed king of Israel from the book of 1 Samuel.
David was 17 years old, and the youngest of his father’s eight sons when he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the successor to Saul, king of Israel. So David had a promise of being king, but he was not king yet. Instead, David spent his days tending to his father’s sheep while several of his brothers went off to fight for Israel in King Saul’s army. The story starts in 1 Samuel 16.
Continue readingJoshua 1:6-9 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Continue reading…”Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” What did Jesus mean when He said to pray this way?
In Heaven, or the Kingdom, there is complete healing, complete wellness, no sickness, no disease. We see this demonstrated in Jesus’s life, as He is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” Hebrews 1:3. Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38
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Dogtags and Pearls...the plain and the precious 